Atheist Nexus2016-12-09T17:37:16ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStatenhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/KZZhoemccGxM7xxk3wjHHMVmcMLTjbH1U*F3dpY0X0Hq2sxtUyBgvzezrOHJXJpv6u6tA41PRapNzX0p1kZ4JJq03jgPkK5-/664594168.jpeg?xgip=0%3A0%3A183%3A183%3B183%3B&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://atheistnexus.org/group/godlessgamers/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=28qa4r40p9d6s&feed=yes&xn_auth=noFriendly Neighborhood Atheist - Steam Gaming Group is growingtag:atheistnexus.org,2015-03-24:2182797:Topic:25850302015-03-24T23:22:43.029ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p><strong>Any Steam gamers out there?</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>My Steam group is growing with new members joining daily.</strong></p>
<p>Now we are over 1,800+ members and growing.</p>
<p>We have lively discussions and many members to converse and play games with.</p>
<p>In the future we will plan some Events like Atheist game night.</p>
<p>Many possibilities for stress free fun.</p>
<p>Feel free to join the group and enjoy your stay.</p>
<p><strong>Any Steam gamers out there?</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>My Steam group is growing with new members joining daily.</strong></p>
<p>Now we are over 1,800+ members and growing.</p>
<p>We have lively discussions and many members to converse and play games with.</p>
<p>In the future we will plan some Events like Atheist game night.</p>
<p>Many possibilities for stress free fun.</p>
<p>Feel free to join the group and enjoy your stay.</p> Star Wars Commandertag:atheistnexus.org,2014-12-02:2182797:Topic:25145582014-12-02T17:30:25.227ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p>Anyone playing Star Wars Commander? I am on IOS</p>
<p>There is a squad called Atheist Empire that I am a member of, let me know if you want to join</p>
<p>Anyone playing Star Wars Commander? I am on IOS</p>
<p>There is a squad called Atheist Empire that I am a member of, let me know if you want to join</p> yikes on the bit'coin .. world... ~? underminers!tag:atheistnexus.org,2013-12-18:2182797:Topic:23520312013-12-18T12:43:45.650ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
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<tr><td><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Apple fanbois warned: No, Cupertino HASN'T built a Bitcoin mining function into Macs<br></br></span> <span>If you follow tech guidelines from 4chan, you're an idiot<br></br></span> <span>By</span> <span>John Leyden</span></p>
<p><span>Posted in</span> <span>Security</span><span>,</span> <span>13th December 2013 15:06 GMT</span></p>
<p><span>The denizens of internet…</span></p>
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<tr><td><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Apple fanbois warned: No, Cupertino HASN'T built a Bitcoin mining function into Macs<br/></span> <span>If you follow tech guidelines from 4chan, you're an idiot<br/></span> <span>By</span> <span>John Leyden</span></p>
<p><span>Posted in</span> <span>Security</span><span>,</span> <span>13th December 2013 15:06 GMT</span></p>
<p><span>The denizens of internet horror-forum 4chan have come up with a hoax designed to trick Mac fans into deleting all the files on their machines by running commands supposedly needed to turn on hidden Bitcoin mining features.</span></p>
<p><span>Apple's so-called secret mining feature, which 4channers claim has been present in Macs since 2009, can be unlocked by opening a terminal command line and running the following command:</span> <span>sudo rm -rf/*</span><span>, viral images falsely claim.</span></p>
<p><span>Do not try this at home</span> <span>– or anywhere else, come to that. In reality, typing</span> <span>rm -rf/*</span> <span>on a Unix system (including Mac OS X) tells your computer to delete all of your files and folders.</span></p>
<p><span>The more tech-savvy folk on 4chan would take the bogus flier as the slightly twisted joke it's probably intended to be. But, as with any in-joke, there's a danger that less technically knowledgeable people might be taken in, warns veteran security researcher Graham Cluley.</span></p>
<p><span>"With many people intrigued by mainstream newspaper stories about Bitcoins, but lacking in knowledge about how to dip their toe into the waters of Bitcoin mining, there is a danger that some folks could take the advice seriously," Cluley writes in a</span> <span>blog post</span> <span>featuring screenshots of the deliberately misleading flier.</span></p>
<p><span>"Most of the denizens of 4Chan are probably in on the joke, and will give an evil grin at the suggestion. But there’s always a danger that other wannabe Bitcoin miners will see the “advice” and follow it to the letter with data-destroying results."</span></p>
<p><span>An</span> <span>article</span> <span>by the</span> <span>Daily Dot</span> <span>suggests the hoax has already claimed a number of victims.</span></p>
<p><span>It seems the inmates of 4chan’s random imageboard /b/ are following up on the recent</span> <span>Xbox One bricking hoax</span> <span>with a ruse designed to trick the less knowledgeable into auto-trashing all the files on their Apple computers.</span></p>
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<div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2013/12/13/mac_bitcoin_mining_hoax/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2013/12/13/mac_bitcoin_mining_hoax/</a> Page 1 of 2</span></p>
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<div class="page" title="Page 2"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Apple fanbois warned: No, Cupertino HASN'T built a Bitcoin mining function into Macs • The Register 12/13/13, 12:49 PM</span></p>
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<div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Last weekend malicious /b/ pranksters pushed a fake advisory seeking to trick Xbox One owners into bricking their consoles by following a set of instructions that supposedly made the latest version of Microsoft's gaming console backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games. Instead it made the console inoperable.</span></p>
<p><span>The Xbox wheeze was far more plausible – and created far more problems – than the latest rash of mischief. The</span> <span>Daily Dot</span> <span>adds that the Xbox hoax has even spawned secondary ruses involving supposed instructions to restore a bricked Xbox One console that, in reality, will result in a knackered PC to go with a borked gaming console.</span></p>
<p><span>This latter ruse surfaced in the image community 9gag and not /b/, which is notorious as the birthplace of Anonymous and much more besides. ®</span></p>
<p><span>Related stories</span></p>
<p><span>Microsoft: Don't listen to 4chan ... especially the bit about bricking Xbox Ones</span> <span>(10 December 2013)</span> <span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/10/microsoft_warns_against_trying_for_backwards_compatibility_on_xbox_one/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/10/microsoft_warns_against_trying_for_backwards_compatibility_on_xbox_one/</a></span></p>
<p><span>Gaming co ESEA hit by $1 MILLION fine for HIDDEN Bitcoin mining enslaver</span> <span>(20 November 2013)</span> <span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/20/esea_gaming_bitcoin_fine/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/20/esea_gaming_bitcoin_fine/</a></span></p>
<p><span>New ransomware strain forces hapless users into becoming Bitcoin miners</span> <span>(19 September 2013)</span> <span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/19/bitcoinmining_ransomware/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/19/bitcoinmining_ransomware/</a></span></p>
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<div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Spam and the Byzantine Empire: How Bitcoin tech REALLY works</span> <span>(23 May 2013)</span> <span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/23/bitcoin_spam_byzantine_generals/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/23/bitcoin_spam_byzantine_generals/</a></span></p>
<p><span>Illicit Bitcoin miners steal resources from infected Macs</span> <span>(31 October 2011)</span> <span><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/31/mac_os_x_bitcoin_mining_trojan/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/31/mac_os_x_bitcoin_mining_trojan/</a> </span></p>
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</div> Virtually Numbed: Immersive Video Gaming Alters Real-Life Experiencetag:atheistnexus.org,2013-11-03:2182797:Topic:23247032013-11-03T14:12:44.683ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<blockquote><p id="first"><span class="date">Oct. 28, 2013</span> — Role-playing video games can alter our experience of reality and numb us to important real-life experiences, a new study finds.</p>
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<div id="text"><blockquote><p>Spending time immersed as a virtual character or avatar in a role-playing video game can numb you to realizing important body signals in real life. This message comes from Ulrich Weger of the University of Witten/Herdecke in Germany and Stephen Loughnan…</p>
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<blockquote><p id="first"><span class="date">Oct. 28, 2013</span> — Role-playing video games can alter our experience of reality and numb us to important real-life experiences, a new study finds.</p>
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<div id="text"><blockquote><p>Spending time immersed as a virtual character or avatar in a role-playing video game can numb you to realizing important body signals in real life. This message comes from Ulrich Weger of the University of Witten/Herdecke in Germany and Stephen Loughnan of Melbourne University in Australia, in an article in the journal <em>Psychonomic Bulletin &amp; Review</em>, published by Springer.</p>
<p>The researchers studied what happens when gamers take on the role of -- and identify with -- a nonhuman character such as an avatar during immersive video gaming, and how it especially influences their experience of pain. Avatars often have automaton-like, robotic characteristics such as mechanistic inertness, rigidity and a lack of emotion and warmth.</p>
<p>Participants were asked how much time they spend each week playing video games. Their responses were then correlated with a measure of pain tolerance by counting the number of paperclips that they could retrieve from ice-cold water. In a second experiment, participants played either an immersive or a nonimmersive computer game before taking part in the same pain-resistance task. The immersive video-game players exhibited a reduced sensitivity to pain and removed significantly more paperclips from ice-cold water. They were also more indifferent to people depicted as experiencing displeasure than were the nonimmersive players.</p>
<p>Weger and Loughnan found that by taking on and acting from the perspective of an automaton-like avatar, people are desensitized to pain in themselves and in others. The point of view adopted during video gaming appears to have implications that extend beyond the virtual environment, into real life.</p>
<p>Dr. Weger points to what he sees as a misleading development: that the human-machine boundary is increasingly being blurred, either by humans entering virtual machines/robots, or by anthropomorphizing, in other words adding human qualities to animated figures and toys. Machines are being programmed to attract human inclinations, while virtual characters and robots have started to perform tasks or roles that were traditionally held by humans, such as that of robot counselling therapists. In such an environment it becomes increasingly easy and normal to regard artificial beings as being akin to human beings.</p>
<p>"We see this blurring as a reality of our time but also as a confused and misleading development that has begun to shape society," says Weger. "We believe this should be balanced by other developments, for example, by working on our awareness of what it really means to be human. We should also look into how we can best make use of the beneficial applications of robotic or artificial intelligence advances, so as to be able to use our freed up resources and individual potentials wisely rather than becoming enslaved by those advances."</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/</a><br/> 131028100940.htm</p> Did Dragon Age 3 get pushed back again?tag:atheistnexus.org,2013-06-11:2182797:Topic:22484032013-06-11T23:38:52.734ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p>I don't know about anyone else, but I'm a little excited for DA3. I really loved Origins and Awakening (even if Awakening was depressing as all getup), and I even enjoyed DA2 even if they kinda went cheap on it....and wouldn't let me romance Varric even though he was THE ONLY GUY WORTH PUTTING UP WITH!....sorry, Anders- related trauma.<br></br>Anyhoo, I was planning on pre-ordering the PS4 because I saw that DA3 was planning on being a release game, but I guess now they're waiting til next year…</p>
<p>I don't know about anyone else, but I'm a little excited for DA3. I really loved Origins and Awakening (even if Awakening was depressing as all getup), and I even enjoyed DA2 even if they kinda went cheap on it....and wouldn't let me romance Varric even though he was THE ONLY GUY WORTH PUTTING UP WITH!....sorry, Anders- related trauma.<br/>Anyhoo, I was planning on pre-ordering the PS4 because I saw that DA3 was planning on being a release game, but I guess now they're waiting til next year and making it available for PS3 and PS4? Is anyone else confused or know anything about this? I tried checking the DA site, but I wasn't able to find anything. <br/><br/>However, the game looks hella intriguing, doesn't it? </p> darkfalltag:atheistnexus.org,2013-05-17:2182797:Topic:22351832013-05-17T22:31:41.153ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p>im on this one in the NA server. i play a human, im in the nightcrows tribe there. my toon is named chimba wimba. this game has safe areas but is mostly pvp.</p>
<p>im on this one in the NA server. i play a human, im in the nightcrows tribe there. my toon is named chimba wimba. this game has safe areas but is mostly pvp.</p> The Atheist Gaming Networktag:atheistnexus.org,2013-04-17:2182797:Topic:22150932013-04-17T16:14:01.671ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAtheistGamingNetwork">https://www.facebook.com/TheAtheistGamingNetwork</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>A wonderful group for gamers.</p>
<p>I love the facebook page.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAtheistGamingNetwork">https://www.facebook.com/TheAtheistGamingNetwork</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>A wonderful group for gamers.</p>
<p>I love the facebook page.</p> Star Wars The Old Repbulic Guilds for Atheists?tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-10-22:2182797:Topic:20837082012-10-22T00:24:29.102ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p>Hello</p>
<p>I am new here - my name is Gabe. As an atheist and humanist I am super stoked to see this group exists.</p>
<p>I do some gaming, mostly SWTOR (level 30 DPS as of 10/21/2012)</p>
<p>I have been holding out on joining a SWTOR guild until I found one nontheist/atheist/humanist themed. I mean for goodness sake if there are guilds whose membership is based on liking the show Firefly, there has to be an atheist guild right?</p>
<p>If not..let's start one!!! I'm not sure how to do…</p>
<p>Hello</p>
<p>I am new here - my name is Gabe. As an atheist and humanist I am super stoked to see this group exists.</p>
<p>I do some gaming, mostly SWTOR (level 30 DPS as of 10/21/2012)</p>
<p>I have been holding out on joining a SWTOR guild until I found one nontheist/atheist/humanist themed. I mean for goodness sake if there are guilds whose membership is based on liking the show Firefly, there has to be an atheist guild right?</p>
<p>If not..let's start one!!! I'm not sure how to do that but I'd be willing to do whatever it takes to start one.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.” </p>
<p> </p> I made a new Atheist Group on Steamtag:atheistnexus.org,2012-10-05:2182797:Topic:20676842012-10-05T00:03:44.264ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p><a href="http://steamcommunity.com/groups/friendlyneighborhoodatheist">http://steamcommunity.com/groups/friendlyneighborhoodatheist</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>join my Friendly Neighborhood Atheist Group - would love to have you</p>
<p><a href="http://steamcommunity.com/groups/friendlyneighborhoodatheist">http://steamcommunity.com/groups/friendlyneighborhoodatheist</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>join my Friendly Neighborhood Atheist Group - would love to have you</p> A Little Off-Topic but I Started a Video Blog on YouTubetag:atheistnexus.org,2012-09-10:2182797:Topic:20492372012-09-10T06:42:17.469ZDorian Statenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DorianStaten
<p>SO I know its a little off-topic here but I just thought I'd let you guys know. I started a YouTube channel called "Saving You From Your Religion" after a run in I had today with the "Saving the world for Jesus" crowd and I figured I would ask you guys to watch my first video (2 parts) and give me any advice you might have and if you are so inclined to share it with others. The link is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Cryha50">http://www.youtube.com/user/Cryha50</a> and I appreciate your…</p>
<p>SO I know its a little off-topic here but I just thought I'd let you guys know. I started a YouTube channel called "Saving You From Your Religion" after a run in I had today with the "Saving the world for Jesus" crowd and I figured I would ask you guys to watch my first video (2 parts) and give me any advice you might have and if you are so inclined to share it with others. The link is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Cryha50">http://www.youtube.com/user/Cryha50</a> and I appreciate your input :)</p>